Secrets of the Shadow Mage
by NctrnlBst
Summary: Some times, a dream is not a wish that your heart makes, but rather a locked away memory from a troubled past that, comes back to haunt you. Follow Jaden OC and the Epilogue Kids as they try unravel the secret of the Shadow Mage.
1. Bad Dreams and Wishful Thinking

Title: Dreamcatcher  
Rating and Warnings: M for violence  
Main Character(s): Epilogue kids, Ron, Hermione, Harry, Ginny, Neville, Jaden (OC)  
Pairing: Ron/Hermione, Harry/Ginny  
Status: In Progress (Chaptered)  
Synopsis: What is a dream? Some times, a dream is not a wish that your heart makes, but rather a locked away memory from a troubled past that, for one reason or another, comes back to haunt you. Follow Jaden (OC) and the Epilogue Kids as they try unravel the secret of the Shadow Mage.

A/N: I've had this story archived away for a long time. I wrote it during a particularly bad stretch of insomnia. It was originally set during the Marauder era, but after looking at it, I thought that it could be re-written as an Epilogue kids fic.

Rated M for some adult themes, but the first few chapters are pretty much the darkest that it gets. It lightens up once the story gets rolling.

I haven't had this fic beta read, so please excuse any gramatical errors.

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Ron is lying unconscious in an abandoned subway tunnel. He slowly stirs, but finds it hard to move. His body aches. He eventually finds the strength to roll over onto his back, when screams echo through the darkness. Ron tries to sit up, but the slashes in his abdomen and chest make it almost impossible. He rolls over onto his stomach again, and pushes himself up with his hands and knees. His clothes are soaked from lying in his own blood for however long it was that he was knocked out.

The screams echo through the tunnels again. Ron determines which direction the screams are coming from, and staggers into the darkness. The screams grow louder as he gets closer. Ron can see a light in the distance, and quickens his pace. He finally reaches the source of the carnage to find bodies everywhere. A group of homeless and malnourished muggles, most of whom were children, was being slaughtered by a group of hooded people. Ron looks around for something... anything that resembles a wand. A few feet away, he spots his Holly wand. Ron lets out a painful groan as he reaches for the wand, which is tacky from the pool of blood in which it was sitting. He picks up the wand, and tries to utter a spell, only to double over in pain from the strain on his already weak body.

Ron looks up from his knees, to watch in horror as the group of attacking hooded figures literally tearing the weaker muggles apart. In one corner of the abandoned tunnel, Ron sees a big, rangy man with matted grey hair raping a young girl. Tears fall from Ron's eyes. His normally mesmerizing green eyes are wracked with pain as he watches that monster have his way with the shrieking girl who Ron perceives as no older than 16 years of age. The girl turns her head and looks at Ron. Her eyes red and tear soaked from crying, call out to Ron for help. Much to Ron's torture, he can barely stand, let alone be of any help to anyone.

Finally bored with his plaything, the beast uses a slashing motion of his wand to eviscerate the poor girl making sure not to hit any of her vital organs, which would have killed her instantly. She is lying on the ground, the voiced garbled by the blood building in her throat. He stands up looking at his fallen prey, and then turns his head towards Ron. He gives Ron a devilish grin as he licks the blood off of his hands like a feral dog.

Ron reaches down, and grabs his wand. Ignoring the excruciating pain, he utters a curse only to be overcome by pain again. He hunches over in agony and his spell backfires. The ensuing explosion sends Ron's tattered body hurling into the air, and landing next to the eviscerated girl.

Ron turns his head to see that he is face to face with the girl that he was helplessly watching. Blood trickles from the corner of her mouth as she struggles to breath. Ron forces himself into a sitting position, and pulls the girl into his lap in a futile attempt to comfort her in what is surly her final moments.

She looks up at Ron with her hazel eyes. Ron is enchanted by her eyes, which although strained from crying and filled with terror, are two of the most beautiful things that he has seen in his dark and shadowed life. All the sounds of the occurring massacre fade away around him as her eyes draw him in. Time seems to stop and the only thing in the entire world at that moment consists of Ron, and the dying girl in his lap. Her breathing quickens until her pupils dilate, and she lets out one final trailing breath.

Ron bends over, and hugs the girl, her body limp in his arms.

"RON!!!!! RON!!!!!" a worried Hermione shouts as she tries to wake up her husband. "WAKE UP RON!"

His bushy haired wife shakes Ron awake. He sits up in his bed, his pulse racing, and his face drenched in sweat. Ron hunches over and rests his head in his hands.

"A-Are you alright?" Hermione asks her visibly distraught husband.

"Yeah, I-I'm fine," Ron tries to reassure his concerned wife.

"You were screaming. I-It sounded bad," stammers Hermione, clearly concerned for her husband.

"I-I was just having a bad dream love,"

"It was the second one in as many nights Ron." Hermione points out, "Are you sure that you are alright?"

"Yes..." is all that Ron can say.

Hermione doesn't believe him, but she lays back in their bed, still concerned for her husband's well being. She wants to find out what it is that is troubling her one and only love, but she knows that Ron is not going to say anything unless he wants to. Hermione glances over at Ron one last time before pulling the covers over her. As Hermione rustles under the covers, she hears her normally strong-willed husband, one of the most well known wizards of his generation, quietly sobbing.

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A young boy about 11 years of age with shoulder length jet black hair tied back in a ponytail strolls by a closed London pawnshop. He stops and looks through the front window, which is further secured by iron bars.

He looks up and down the street to see if anyone is watching. Up the street, he sees a tall man. His face hidden by shadows, which is strange considering that he is standing directly under a street lamp. Although the boy cannot see this stranger's eyes, he can feel them boring into him. The boy glances uncomfortably away for a second. He hears a muffled pop, and when he looks back, the tall stranger is gone.

Now alone on the street, the boy peers through iron bars until he sees a shadow about his size in the back of the shop, behind the counter. He backs up and disappears into a shadow cast onto the street by a nearby light post.

Moment's later; he steps out of the shadow in the back of the pawnshop. He gives a quick look around the shop, and then spots what he is looking for. He walks up to the cash register, and, with a flick of the wrist, pulls out a butterfly knife. He uses the knife to pop open the cash register, and proceeds to clean out the register of all its cash. He then starts to walk around the shop looking into the display cases for anything that might catch his eye. He is about to open one of the display cases when he hears a low growl from the other side of the counter. He leans over to see what it is. Much to his dismay, a large German Shepard is standing there, its eyes fixated on him. He slowly backs away from the dog. The dog lunges at him, and he just barely is able to dive out of the way. He looks up from his hands and knees to be nose to snout with the growling guard dog. He slowly backs away from the dog, never taking his eyes off of him. The German Shepard barks, and chases him through the shop. The boy sees his way out, and dives into a shadow behind a display case leaving the bewildered guard dog sniffing the area where he disappeared.

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Albus Potter is sitting at a desk in his temporary room in 12 Grimmauld Place. Although, he always thought that the house was creepy, Albus found that he didn't mind it so much this evening. This is because he and his parents were going to Diagon Alley in a few hours to get his things for his first year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Albus and his family usually lived in a house in Devon, but his parents had brought him and his older brother, James, and younger sister ,Lily, to Grimmauld place because it was located in London, which would allow them to get an early start in Diagon Alley.

Amidst complaints from the kids, the five Potters loaded into the family car and drove from Devon to London.

"Why can't we just use floo powder?" complained James and Lily in turn.

Albus never really understood why his father always insisted using the car on trips when there were so much faster ways of traveling. Still, he sat quietly (or at least he did whenever his brother wasn't making trouble to him) in the back seat enjoying the country scenery. After having dinner at Grimmauld place, his parents insisted that he and his siblings go to bed. This was hours ago, but he was too excited to sleep. After spending several minutes, which seemed like an eternity to him, staring at the pealing paint on the ceiling, he gave up the futile attempt to sleep. Albus decided to read over his list of school equipment for the umpteenth time.

Albus sat at the desk thinking of feathery quills, bottles of ink that change color as you write, fresh rolls of parchment. He hadn't decided if she wanted an owl or a cat yet, but above all else, the one thing that Albus was most looking forward to was getting his wand. He sat in a daze dreaming of the things he would finally be able to do once he had gotten his wand. Excitement continuing to build in him, Albus rose from his chair, and started moving about the room, pretending to cast spells. He jumped from the floor onto his bed pretending to shoot a spell over his shoulder at an unknown opponent. Albus bent over to shoot a spell between his legs when he sees his mother standing in the doorway.

"I thought I told you to go to sleep?" his ginger haired mother smirked.

"Mum…" sputters Albus as he drops onto his bed, bouncing slightly. "I'm too excited to sleep!"

"Well, you have to sweetie. We'll be leaving early. We have to meet you're Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione at the Leaky Cauldron," said Albus's mother. "You don't want to be grumpy when you see your cousins do you?"

"But Mum…" Albus whines.

With a glint in her eye, Ginny moves towards the bed while Albus scoots over to make room for his mother. "Tell me about Hogwarts again Mum."

Ginny sits on the edge of the bed next to her son. "Hogwarts is a wondrous magical castle with many towers and battlements. The castle is built atop a cliff overlooking a lake, which is home to many incredible creatures…"

And just like that, Albus was sound asleep.

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The longhaired boy, Jaden, walks into a motel on the outskirts of the city. As he walks by the front desk, the clerk is about to harass him for his rent money. Before he has a chance to say anything, Jaden throws some money onto the desk.

"That should take care of this and next week, and I need fresh towels," he says walking by, not even breaking stride.

He enters his room, and begins to empty his pockets. With the exception of almost being eaten by a dog, it was a good night. Almost a grand in loose cash which was more than enough to keep him fed and off the streets for another two maybe three weeks if he didn't spend too much.

Jaden takes off his black leather jacket, and pulls out his red t-shirt, which he usually keeps tucked into his pants when he goes out, especially on his bi-monthly cash with, drawl trips.

He looks in the mirror, and ruffles his hair before plopping on the bed, and turning on the TV. Its past 2:00 in the morning, but the time never fazes him; a drawback of chronic insomnia. He lies in his bed watching TV. Part of him wants to get some rest, but he is terrified of what he will see if he ever goes to sleep.

Jaden clicks through the channels trying to find something that is not an infomercial, when he springs to his feet at the sound of a knock at the door. _"It's probably just the desk clerk with fresh towels," _Jaden thinks to himself. He makes his way to the door, expecting to see the desk clerk, but is surprised to see a tall round-faced man holding a stack of fluffy white towels.

"Hello… Jaden is it?" says the man before calmly stepping into the shabby room. He hands Jaden the pile of towels, and closes the door behind him.

"A-hey," says Jaden as he looks incredulously at his uninvited guest.

"I have to admit, you are a hard person to track down, I've been trying to find you for two weeks."

Jaden drops the towels, and quickly takes a defensive posture.

"Calm down there boy, I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to talk," says the tall stranger.

Jaden scans the room, and starts to back into a shadowy corner.

"Oh no you don't," Says the tall man as he draws a wand from his coat pocket. He points it at Jaden and calls out, "Lumos." To Jaden's surprise, a bright light erupts from the tip of the wand illuminating Jaden and the corner that he is now standing. Jaden looks around to see that the shadow that he was attempting to escape through was gone.

"What do you want from me?" snaps Jaden.

"Like I said, I only want to talk, but I can't do that if you disappear into another shadow again."

"How do you know about that?"

"I thought that I already explained that I have been trying to track you down for two weeks," remarks the tall man, coolly. "I was having a rather difficult time following you. For awhile, I thought that you were apparating, but for someone so young to be able to do that would be truly remarkable."

"Apparating… What are you talking about?" chirps Jaden, still rigid in the corner of the room.

"Well, that's for another time," notes the tall man. "So, tell me Jaden, how long have you known that you are a Shadow Mage?"

"A what?"

"How long have you been able to disappear into shadows?"

"Why should I tell you anything?" yells Jaden.

"I told you, I only want to talk. If you promise to not vanish on me, I'll put my wand away, and we can have a seat and talk," says the tall man. "Do I have you word? I only want to talk."

Jaden stares at the tip of the wand, and then looks up into the stranger's eyes. Jaden is not sure why, but he has the feeling that he can trust this person. Jaden nods hesitantly.

At that slight gesture, the tall man retracts his wand, and mutters what Jaden thinks sounded like, "Nox." For a split second, the thought occurred to Jaden to just drop out of the room through the shadow behind him. However, aside from pulling a stick on him and shining a light in his face, the stranger has done thing to that could be interpreted as threatening. Jaden slowly moves towards a nearby chair and takes a seat while the tall stranger sits on the bed.

"Who-Who are you?" stammers Jaden

"Professor Neville Longbottom"

"Professor?" says Jaden quizzically who was more surprised at hearing such a strange name than the fact that he was a professor. "S-So, you're like a teacher or something?"

"Yes. I teach at a school called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Neville says proudly.

"What? Witchcraft?"

"Well, how would you explain what it is that you do?"

"W-Well, I never really thought about it, I just sorta just did it."

"I have to admit, that it is rather remarkable, especially for someone as young as you."

"So, what did you call it? Shadow Mage?"

"Yes, it took me awhile to figure out how I kept losing you. Fortunately, I have a friend at the ministry who is really good at researching things. Thanks to her help, I was able to figure out how you were giving me the slip."

"So, what is a Shadow watsit?"

"You're a Shadow Mage," Neville says whimsically. "To be honest, not much is really known about them. According to my friend Hermione, they are very rare, and because of the stigma of being associated with the dark arts, those who are Shadow Mages don't go around advertising it. But disappearing into shadows is one ability attributed to shadow mages."

"Is that why you are here?" says Jaden as he quirks an eyebrow at Neville. "Because I'm a shadow watsit?"

"Well, it is part of it. The real reason that I'm here is to notify you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts."

"For what? Why?"

"Because you're a wizard, and the purpose of Hogwarts is to educate those with magic abilities, and from what I have seen while trying to track you down, that's you."

"How much does it cost? I-I don't have any money to pay for school."

"Don't worry about it, if you decide to attend Hogwarts, there are funds set aside to assist those who have the financial need." Neville looks at the confused young boy. He didn't blame him, it was a lot of information to have sprung on him in such a short time. "Look, it's late, and I'm sure that there is a lot that you have to think about. Why don't I leave, and you can sleep on it."

Jaden's head snaps to attention at the thought of sleeping, and locks eyes with Neville.

"What do you say we meet for lunch tomorrow, and I'll answer whatever questions you may have?"

Jaden nods.

"Good. Do you know where Charing Cross Road is?" asks Neville as he rises from the bed and shuffles towards the door.

Jaden nods again.

"I'm staying at an inn called the Leaky Cauldron. It's on Charing Cross road next door to a record store. Shall we say noonish?"

Jaden has no idea what to make of any of this. Some stranger just walks into his room, and now they are making plans to meet for lunch. Almost eaten by a dog, and now meeting a supposed Professor from a school that teaches kids how to use magic. It's by far the strangest night Jaden has had in awhile, but what does he have to lose? Disappearing into shadows is not a normal thing, not by a long shot, and to be honest, Jaden never really gave it any thought. There were dozens of television shows in which people could do odd things that were not scientifically explainable, but the existence of witched and wizards?

Jaden was normally very hesitant to trust anyone. It's probably one of the reasons that he was able to survive on his own for so long. Two years without having to rely or trust anyone. Could he trust this person, Neville Longbottom? If he wanted him dead, Neville could have easily killed him in this room without anyone being the wiser. Charing Cross road was a busy street, so it would be a lot safer than sitting alone in a motel room with someone whom he had just met. Curiosity was getting the better of Jaden. After what seemed like an hour, Jaden looked up at Neville Longbottom, whom was not at the door, and gave a hesitant nod.

"Excellent," exclaimed Neville. "Tomorrow at Noon then. I understand if you decide not to come, but I deeply hope that you come and hear what I have to say."

Neville's eyes go wide, as he checks his watch. "My goodness, it is late. I think that we both should get some sleep… Oh, you might find this interesting," says Neville as he hands Jaden a piece of parchment. "See you."

To Jaden's surprise, Neville shoots him a cheerful smile before turning on the spot and disappearing with a slight, "Crack."

Still not sure what to make of any of this, Jaden slowly makes his way to the window. He pulls back the curtain slightly to see if anyone is outside. Once he is sure that there is no other would-be visitors are waiting outside, Jaden heads back to his bed to continue the futile search for some non-commercial related programming.

"Me… a Wizard?"

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I hope that you enjoyed chapter one, please leave a review. 


	2. Jaden Meets Albus

Here is the next chapter. Please excuse any errors because I haven't had this beta read.

Disclaimer: Me no own nothing except whatever characters I make up myself.

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_Accounts of the mysterious group of witches and wizards known as "Shadow Mages" date back to 1223 B.C., however, it is believed that this group may have existed long before this initial account. Long thought to be associated with the dark arts, they were believed to be the first practitioners of now common branches of magic such as Apparition, Legillimancy, and Occlumency. _

_The title Shadow Mage comes from their ability to transport themselves from place to place through the use of shadows. Probably one of the most well known remnants of this ability is the popular Muggle magic trick, "The Vanishing Cabinet." Although, now relegated to Muggle theatrics, before the discovery of apparition, Shadow Mages used this ability to gain power both in the Magical and Muggle worlds. _

_The Shadow Mages eventually began to lose power, as the newly discovered "Apparition" became more prominent. As more and more witches and wizards learned to apparate, the Shadow Mages lost their advantage over their wizarding counterparts. Their power base gone, they eventually assimilated themselves into the magical community. _

_It is not known how many modern Shadow Mages there are in existence at present owing to the fact that they wish to avoid the stigma associated with their dark history. As a result, there has not been a recorded instance of an active group of Shadow Mages in over a millennia._

Jaden folded the piece of parchment with its tiny, neat scrawl, and slipped it into his pocket. It was a lot to digest. Just a few hours ago, he was a normal kid. _"Well, as normal as a homeless eleven year old with magical abilities can be,"_ Jaden thought to himself.

But this was different. Before he thought that he was alone, unique even, a freak. Now, he was a part of an actual secret community, on top of that, a secret community with in a secret community. Granted, according to Professor Longbottom's friend Hermione, there wasn't an active group of Shadow Mages in over a thousand years, but she didn't rule out that there still could be a few of them around. Jaden was proof of that fact, he thought as he looked at his reflection in the mirror.

Jaden looked at the alarm clock on the end table next to his bed. It was 8:00. Jaden could walk the entire way, and it would not take him four hours to get there. Still, Professor Longbottom did say that he was staying there. Perhaps he wouldn't mind if he showed up a few hours early.

Jaden ties his hair back into a ponytail, tucks in his shirt, and grabs his jacket. He slips into his jacket, and heads out the door.

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"Ron…" a voice calls out his name from within the darkness.

"Ron…" the voice calls again.

"Ronald, wake up…" says the voice.

"RONALD!"

"What…" says Ron with a muffled voice from under the pillows.

"Ronald it's time to wake up," says his wife Hermione. "Go get ready, and don't forget to take your potion."

Ron lifts the pillow from his face, and looks at the blurry object that is his wife. "Do I have to?"

"A fine example you are for your children, always sleeping in."

Ron ignores his bushy haired wife, and pulls the covers over his head. "Ow!"

"Get out of bed Ron!" snaps Hermione. "Don't make me get my wand and hose you out of bed again."

"Alright… Alright… I'm up," says Ron with mock enthusiasm as he springs out of bed. He leans over and plants a kiss on Hermione's cheek on his way to the bathroom.

"Eww… I sometimes think that you have worse morning breath than Fang."

"Well, you did agree for better or for worst," chortles Ron before snatching up Hermione, dropping her on the bed and pretending to gnaw into her shoulder causing her to giggle madly.

"Get-off-Ronald-Weasley!" Hermione squeaks through her giggles.

Ron quickly obliges her, dropping another kiss on her cheek before disappearing into the bathroom. He closes the door behind him, and takes off the sleep shirt he was wearing. Ron goes about his normal routine, grabbing his toothbrush, but then stops when he catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror. His hand hesitantly moves up to scars gored into his chest and abdomen. Even though he's had them for almost two years now, they still look just as deep and beastly as the day he first got them. Ron traces the edge of the deepest scar until Hermione, walking into the bathroom, startles him.

"Ron you forgot your po…" Hermione stops mid-word at the sight of Ron's face. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah… Great…" Ron stammers while turning on the water and running his toothbrush under it.

This doesn't fool Hermione at all. She places the bottle she is carrying on the counter top, and wraps her arms around Ron, resting her head on his back. "That-That dream you had last night, it was that night wasn't it?"

Ron places his hands on the basin's edge, and stares into the mirror. Without saying a word, he nods and looks away. Even though the shorter Hermione could not see his reflection in the mirror from where she is, she knows what Ron's answer is.

"I hate this…" Ron says just above a whisper. "I hate reliving that night over and over again. I hate not being able to function without taking a potion four times a day. It's been two years Hermione, and I'm no better off now than I was the day I left St. Mungo's."

"I know, Love," says Hermione soothingly. "But, it's a cursed wound. It was almost five years before Bill completely recovered from his injuries. I-I know how frustrating this is for you"

"Frustrating? You don't even know the half of it 'Mione!" Ron exclaims louder than he intended. He closes his eyes and gathers his composure.

Hermione, however, did not loosen from her embrace.

"I miss it 'Mione."

"Miss what."

"Being an Auror. I liked being an Auror 'Mione. I was good at it, and people respected me for it."

Hermione releases her embrace, and with a gentle touch to his shoulder, she beckons Ron to turn around, which he obliges. Their eyes meet when she reaches up, sliding her hand behind his ear and running her fingers through his hair. "I know how much you loved being an Auror, helping Harry and Kingsley build a better Ministry, but I want you to remember one thing," says Hermione gazing into her husband's eyes. "People didn't respect you for what you did as an Auror. You earned people's respect years before your first day of Auror training, and no one thinks any less of you for having to leave the Auror department."

"Mione, I can't help the way I feel…" Ron says with an expression of shame plastered on his face. "Do you think after all that we had been though, that I wanted to end up working with my brother in a joke shop?"

"Ron, you provide for your family," says Hermione. "There is no shame in that. The joke shop is what paid for this house. You make three times what you did as an Auror, and you are able to provide things for your children that you never had growing up."

"Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against the joke shop, but that shop was Fred…" Ron pauses at the thought of evoking Fred's name, as if it were some sort of sacrilege to speak of him in a manner that did not do honor to his memory. "…and George's dream, not mine."

"We have a beautiful home, we are financially stable with more money that we will ever know what to do with, and we have two beautiful children. What more do you want?"

"Well…" Ron grinned, reasoning that he did not want to start the day on such a depressing note. "I don't have my picture on a Chocolate Frog Card," Ron chuckled.

"What," Hermione snorted. "You don't ask for much."

"My very own Chocolate Frog card would truly be my finest hour!"

"Oh and I suppose that destroying one of Voldemort's Horcruxs, our wedding, and the birth of your children just doesn't compare to a Chocolate Frog card?"

"Well, I guess our wedding would be a close second."

"PRAT!" snaps Hermione before punching Ron in the arm, trying her best but failing to put on a stern face.

"Ouch… That hurt!"

"Good," says Hermione trying not to laugh.

"If I were Minister of Magic, the first thing I would do was made sure that every member of the Order and the DA got their own Chocolate Frog card."

"Well, maybe you should take up that important piece of legislation with Kingsley."

"Come on, I'd make sure you got one too."

"Thanks, but right now, I'd settle for you finishing getting ready. We have to meet Harry, Ginny, and the kids at the Leaky Cauldron at ten."

Ron glances over at the clock on the wall. "Ten? Hermione, that's two hours away. I could have slept for at least another hour," Ron pouted.

"I woke you up early because we both know what kind of mood you get into if you miss a meal," says Hermione plainly.

"Aww, how considerate," says Ron as he leans over to kiss his wife.

"Eww…" yelps Hermione trying to push Ron away. "Morning breath… Ron!" Hermione struggles, and eventually succeeds escaping from Ron's grasp. "Now finish getting ready, and don't forget your potion."

Ron jumps slightly when Hermione slaps him on the bum before leaving the bathroom. "Yes Mum."

"Ronald."

"I'm going-I'm going. Just don't send those canaries of yours after me!"

"If you're not down stairs in thirty minutes, I'll send them up to fetch you!" she says plainly.

"She wouldn't," Ron thought to himself.

"Oh yes I would!" Ron jumped again as Hermione's voice trailed down the hall.

"She's a bit scary sometimes," Ron thought before grabbing the bottle Hermione left on the counter and draining it in one gulp, wincing at the horrible taste.

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James and Albus run down the stairs of Grimmauld place with their younger sister Lily tailing behind them clutching a stuffed spider. The trio tear past a hole in the wall where the shrieking portrait of Mrs. Black once hung, past the stuffed elf heads, and down into the kitchen.

"Hey… Hey… what did I say about running down the stairs?" chirps their father from behind the morning issue of the Daily Prophet.

"That it's faster to just slide down the banister?" says James, drawing laughter from his younger siblings.

"I swear…" says Harry putting down the paper. " I have no idea where you got that smart mouth."

"Where did you think he got it?" smirked Ginny while placing plates of food in front of the children.

"I know that you aren't insinuating that he gets it from me?" says Harry feigning shock.

"You and I both know that half of the detentions that you got while at Hogwarts was because of your smart mouth," teases Ginny, which causes the children to giggle.

"Yeah but that was different…"

"And need I remind you that my son managed to make it through his first year of school without a single detention."

"Wait a minute," says Harry, directing his gaze at his wife. "How come when he does something good, he's your son, and when he gets into trouble, he's mine?"

"It's funny how it works out that way isn't it?" smiles Ginny while taking a seat next to Harry.

Harry smiles at his wife, pulls a plate of sausages towards him and helps himself to a few. "Lily," Harry pauses noticing the giant stuffed spider next to her on the table. "What in Merlin's Beard is that ghastly thing?"

Lily looks up from her plate as if it was perfectly natural to have a giant stuffed spider on the table next to her. "I found it when we where visiting Gran yesterday," she explained between bites of egg. "She said that it used to belong to Uncle Ron. I've named him Julian."

"Well you be sure to show Julian to Uncle Ron when you see him today," Harry says with a wry grin.

Ginny glances over at her husband with a, "You're so mean" expression on her face. The two boys notice it right away, but Lily, who is preoccupied spreading jam on a piece of toast, simply nods at her father's words.

An hour later, Harry and the Potters climb into a car parked in front of Twelve Grimmauld place.

"Why can't we just floo into the Leaky Cauldron?" quips James while plopping himself into the back seat.

"It would be faster," adds Albus.

"You kids need to learn that you don't need to use magic for everything," says Harry from the driver's seat.

"And besides," adds Ginny. "At least this way, we are not walking around Diagon Alley covered in soot all day."

Lily leans over to Albus and James and whispers to them, "I think that it's because Dad doesn't like traveling by floo. Gran says that he didn't like it much as a kid."

"Uncle Ron says that he prefers flying," says James. "But then, why aren't we flying instead of taking the car. It's so slow."

Still, through all the kid's whispered complaints, it wasn't long before Harry was parking the car in a stall around the corner from the Leaky Cauldron. "See, we only had to circle the block three times, and there's plenty of time to spare," says Harry while his children roll their eyes and give a collective groan.

Moments later the Potter clan strolls down Charing Cross road, towards the Leaky Cauldron.

"Hey look," Harry points at a ginger haired man getting out of a car a ways up the block. "It's Uncle Ron. Lily, why do you go introduce him to Julian."

Lily (Julian in hand) followed by James and Albus run up the street.

"You're terrible!" Ginny shakes her head as she and her husband trail behind the exuberant children. A few seconds later, they hear a loud scream and see Ron perched on the hood of the car with the kids, joined by their cousins Rose and Hugo, howling with laughter.

Harry, laughing triumphantly, joins the kids by the car. "Morning Ron… Hey kids how are ya!"

"Hey Uncle Harry," expound Rose and Hugo.

"Where the bloody hell did she get that?" moans Ron as he climbs down from the hood of the car, clutching his heart.

"Mum gave it to her," Harry chuckled. "She said that it once belonged to you, so I thought that you would have liked to get reacquainted… OW!" yelled Harry as Hermione punches him in the arm.

"Morning Harry," chirps Hermione as she walks by Harry to give a hug to her favorite sister-in-law, and then dropping down to bestow kisses on her niece and nephews.

"What was that for?" asks Harry while rubbing the sore spot on his arm.

"Serves you right," says Ginny to her husband in a very unconvincing tone of disapproval.

"Aunt Hermione…" James whines. "Not in public!" says the soon to be second year as he wipes the spot on his cheek where Hermione kissed him with the cuff of his shirt, while Albus grins at his brother's reaction.

Meanwhile, his Uncle Ron shudders against the car while Lily holds Julian up trying to get Ron to give the stuffed spider a kiss. "N-No that's all right Lily, Uncle Ron is okay with you keeping Julian," he sputters.

Much to the chagrin of Ginny and Hermione, Harry revels in the hilarity of his daughter's innocent torture of her uncle. He stands with a stupid grin on his face when he feels his son Albus reach up and tap him on the shoulder. "What is it Al?"

"Dad, can I go into the record store?" asks Albus tilting his head towards the shop next to the Leaky Cauldron.

"Okay, but take James with you," answers Harry. "… And don't dawdle, we have a lot of shopping to do today."

"Sure thing, Dad!" exclaims the energized child before running off to tell his brother.

"James…" Albus calls to his older brother who is currently preoccupied watching Ron who now is holding Julian, and pretending that the stuffed spider is attacking his neck, causing Lily, Rose and Hugo to squeal with delight.

"James…"

"What is it Al?"

"Dad says that you have to go with me into the record store."

"What? Why?" grumbles James.

"I asked Dad if I could go into the record store, and he said that you had to go with me."

James gives an exasperated groan before looking at his brother, "Come on then."

A bell at the top of the door rings as the two boys enter the shop. Albus's eyes widen at the sight of the walls of the small shop lined with shelves packed with records. However, it is the tables set up down the center of the store with milk crates filled with records that catch Albus's attention. He quickly makes his way to the first table, and begins to look through the records while the shop owner casts a wary eye on them from behind the counter before returning to his newspaper.

"What are you looking for?" James asks quizzically while digging his pinky in his ear to show his dislike of the non-wizarding music playing in the store. "I'll never understand what you see in Muggle music."

"What's wrong with it?"

"Well for one thing, those-those CA's…"

"CD's," Albus corrects his brother while not looking away from the stack of records he is perusing.

"Whatever," James grunts. "You can't even listen to them unless you use eckeltricity."

"Well yeah, but these are records, so you can listen to them on phonographs."

"Still, I don't see what the point is. Like that one group you always listen to. The-The Crickets."

"The Beatles," Albus says plainly while returning the record he was looking at to the milk crate he pulled it from.

"Whatever! Why would you want to name your band after a bug anyway?"

"Are you just going to gripe the whole time?" Albus says exasperated by his brother's attitude.

James looks out the shop window to see that everyone had moved on. They were no doubt already in the Leaky Cauldron. "Look, I'm going to meet the rest of the group in the Cauldron. You can stay and look for a bit more if you like, but don't stay in here too long. Mum and Dad will freak if they find out that I left you here alone."

"I won't be long," Albus replies, obviously more interested in the records in front of him that what his brother has to say.

James takes one last glance at his Muggle music loving brother, and then exits the store ringing the bell on the front door as he leaves.

Albus continues browsing the many stacks when he hears the bell on the front door ring again. The music in the store is disrupted by the raucous made by three tall boys whom appear to be at least fourteen or fifteen years of age. Albus casually looks up from the record he is looking at to see the three boys at the front of the store. Albus shrugs off their loud behavior and returns to his browsing. He slips a record back into the slot where he got it, and reaches for another milk crate when he accidentally knocks it over. Albus throws up his hands in surprise, and the milk crate full of records freezes in mid air.

All the sound in the store seams to have been suddenly sucked out of the room. Albus looks towards the front of the store to the three boys staring at him with the mouths agape like cod at the fish market. The shopkeeper, however, sits in the same spot behind the counter, hidden behind his newspaper. Albus frantically grabs the milk crate, and pushes it back onto the table before pushing past the three boys. The bell ringing as he exits the store.

Moments later, the three boys come charging out of the store after Albus. "Hey Kid!" calls the tallest boy.

Albus ignores him and makes a break for the Leaky Cauldron. Albus is a few steps away from the door of the Leaky Cauldron when the three boys grab him from behind.

"Hey kid, how did you do that," asks the tallest boy as his two friends move to surround Albus.

"Uh…" stammers Albus looking around at the three boys towering above him, and then at the door to the Leaky Cauldron just a few feet away.

"Do something else," demands the brown haired boy standing behind Albus.

"I… Just leave me alone!" yells Albus as he tries to push pass the tall boy in front of him only to be over powered.

The three boys start to push Albus between each other, "Come on kid… make something float!"

Albus become very frightened and squeezes past two of the boys. He tries to head towards the door of the Leaky Cauldron, but is blocked by the brown haired boy. The three boys stand before him blocking his way forcing Albus to run down the street away from the safety of the Leaky Cauldron.

Albus dashes past the record store, with the three boys in hot pursuit. He looks over his shoulder at his pursuers before turning down an alley. Albus sputters to a stop so see that the alley was blocked off from the other street by a chain link fence.

One of the boys picks up a rock and throws it at Albus, "Hey kid, lets see you make this rock float!" Albus turns around just in time to see the rock before it hits him in the head. Albus sways for a second before finally falling to the ground in a heap. He looks up groggily, blood streaming from his forehead where the rock hit him, to find that he is being picked up by two of the boys. The tallest boy walks up to Albus as his two friends hold him up. With a grin on his face, the tall boy slaps Albus across the face, and then punches him in the stomach causing Albus to lynch forward, coughing.

88888

Jaden is walking down the street, one block down from Charing Cross road. He walks with his hands in his pockets, and is not really paying any attention to what is going on around him. He lets out a yawn when he hears something from a nearby alley. He walks up to the edge of the alley to see three boys chasing after a smaller boy.

Jaden sees one of the boys pick up a rock and throws it at the trapped boy.

"Hey kid, lets see you make this rock float!" Jaden hears from the street as he sees the smaller boy fall to the ground after the rock hits him squarely in the head. Jaden gasps as the small boy hits the ground hard.

"I need to find a better vantage point," Jaden thinks to himself.

He looks around for somewhere to better observe what is happening. He looks up and sees a fire escape built into the side of the building overlooking the four boys. Jaden walks up to a shadow cast on the sidewalk by a near by mailbox. He looks around to make sure that no one is there to see him. When he is sure that no one is around, Jaden sinks into the shadow. Moment's later; he walks out of a shadow on one of the landings of the fire escape he spotted earlier.

He crouches down on the stair, and watches what is happening below. Jaden sees two of the taller boys pick up the smaller one making it easy for their third friend to punch the scruffy headed boy in the gut. The boys holding up the smaller boy allow him to drop to the ground, and then proceed to kick Albus in the stomach.

Jaden can't stand to watch three bigger boys beat up a defenseless boy smaller than them, and quickly decides to do something. Not willing to let things escalate any further Jaden steps back through a shadow behind him. Jaden rises out of the tallest boy's shadow behind him. He jumps up, and delivers a blow to the back of his head sending him falling to the ground hard.

The other boys' players see him, and charge at Jaden. Jaden dives into a nearby shadow, then jumps out of another behind the brown haired boy. He quickly grabs the brown haired boy by his scruffy locks and pulls him backwards onto the ground, knocking him out before disappearing into the shadows again.

The tallest boy gets back to his feet and he and his remaining friend are looking around trying to figure out where Jaden is.

"Come out and fight you Freak!" the tall boy shouts. He hears a grunting noise from behind him. He turns around and finds his other friend on the ground unconscious.

The tall boy begins to panic, "Come out you..."

Jaden jumps out of a shadow cast upon the ground by the fire escape hanging overhead. He tackles the taller boy, pinning him against the chain link fence with his knee. With a flick of the wrist, Jaden pulls out his Butterfly knife, and rests its point against the taller boy's throat. 

The tall boy stares up at Jaden terrified.

Jaden gets up from on top of the fifteen year old. He flicks his wrist, and returns the knife to his back pocket. "As much as you deserve it, this blade is not meant for you."

Jaden lifts Albus's arm over his head, and with great difficulty, hoists the unconscious boy to his feet. Albus's eyes flutter open momentarily and the words; "Leaky Cauldron" escapes his lips. Hearing this, Jaden backs into a shadow never taking his eyes off of the terrified boy against the fence.

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